Johann Berger (chess theorist)

Johann Berger
Surname	Johann Nepomuk Berger
Association	Austria
Born	April 11, 1845 Graz , Austrian Empire
Died	October 17, 1933 Graz
Best Elo rating	2640 (January 1906) ( historical rating )

Johann Nepomuk Berger (born April 11, 1845 in Graz ; † October 17, 1933 there ) was an Austrian chess theorist and university professor.

Life

At the age of 16 Berger learned to play chess. Between 1880 and 1908 he took part in a large number of chess tournaments, but could not win a single one, but mostly placed in the middle of the field. Therefore, he announced his withdrawal from the tournament arena several times, but repeatedly relapsed. Professionally from 1899 he was director of the Graz commercial academy and professor at the technical university . There he taught commercial law and accounting . In 1905 he was Councilor , 1933, he received the title of Councilor .

Berger was also active in other areas of chess. In correspondence chess he won the tournament organized by the magazine Monde Illustré between 1889 and 1892 . He wrote chess books on several topics. He also developed a rating system known as the Sonneborn-Berger System , which is still used today in chess tournaments to determine the ranking of players with equal points. From 1898 to 1911 he was editor of the respected German chess newspaper . There he also published some opening analyzes , especially for the Spanish game . He gave a complete overview of his chess work in his book Problems, Studies and Games 1862 to 1912 , published in 1914 . Berger had been an honorary member of the German Chess Federation since 1910 .

Contrary to what is occasionally seen in chess literature, it was not Johann Berger who took part in the 1931 tournament in Brno , but Vladimir Berger from Prague.

Endgame theorist

He had an excellent reputation as an endgame theorist . His main work Theory and Practice of the Endgames appeared for the first time in 1890 and in a second, increased edition in 1922. According to his own statement, he worked on this book for seven years. Shortly before his death in 1933, a booklet with supplements was published. He summarized all the knowledge about endgames at the time and introduced some new terms, such as: B. the so-called Berger's square , a method to simplify the calculation of pawn endgames . His book was considered a standard work until André Chéron published the four-volume teaching and manual of the endgames from 1955 .

Johann Berger
Theory and Practice of the Endgames, 1890

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

White to move forces a draw

Solution:

1. f4 – f5! a4 – a3
2. f5xg6! a3 – a2
3. Kh3 – g4 a2 – a1D
4. Kg4 – h5! along with
5. g3 – g4 with stalemate

Chess composition

Just as important was his work in the field of three and multi-migrants. His style, which he explained in detail in the work The Chess Problem and its artful presentation , published in 1884 , shaped chess composition in almost all of Europe in the last decades of the 19th century. Berger is considered to be the head of the so-called Old German School . The solution of a chess problem should get along without any chess-bidding moves (even with multiple moves), whereby a main variant with surprising twists should protrude from many accompanying secondary variants. This main variation should end in a so-called pure mate (i.e. all white pieces except the king are involved in the mate position , and each escape square of the black king is only covered once). Two tasks typical for Berger are shown below.

Johann Berger
Didaskalia (supplement to the Frankfurter Journal ), July 23, 1887

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Checkmate in three moves

Solution:

1. Rh1 – f1! Kc4 – d4
2. Qf3 – d3 + Kd4 – e5
3. f2 – f4 mate

1.… Kc4 – b4 (or Kc4xb5 ) 2. Rf1
– b1 +

1.… e6 – e5
2. Rf1 – b1

Johann Berger
1st Prize German Chess Federation, 1883

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

Checkmate in four moves

Solution:

1. Rd3 – d5! Kb4xc4
2. Qg8 – h8! Kc4xd5
3. e2-e4 + KD5 c6
4. Dh8-c8 matt

1.… Rb6 – b7
2. Qg8 – d8 threatens
3. Qd8xd6 +

1.… Kb4 – a5
2. Qg8 – d8 Ka5 – b4
3. Qd8xb6

Criticism and overcoming of the old German school

The dogmatic views of the formal requirements that Berger's school made on a chess problem aroused increasing criticism. A countercurrent was the Bohemian School, oriented towards the beauty of the matt picture . At the beginning of the 20th century a turning point took place when Arthur Gehlert , Johannes Kohtz and Carl Kockelkorn turned away from Berger's formal criteria and advocated a strategically oriented chess composition. Despite Berger and his supporters' resistance, this new direction, the New German School , began to triumph after 1910.

Works

• The chess problem and its artful presentation. A guide for problem lovers. Veit & Comp., Leipzig 1884.
• Endgame theory and practice. A manual for chess lovers. Veit & Comp., Leipzig 1890.
  2nd edition Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / Leipzig 1922.
  3rd edition with "supplement 1922–1933" (reprint of the 2nd edition, Edition Olms, Zurich 1981, ISBN 3-283-00076- X ).
• Catechism of the game of chess. Introduction to all branches of the game of chess. Max Hesse, Leipzig 1891.
• Problems, studies and games 1862 to 1912. Veit & Comp., Leipzig 1914.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Chess Notes 5419
2. ↑ Chess Notes 5431
3. ↑ The next examples come from the book by Arne Mangs (= Herbert Grasemann): The Art of Matting. Wilhelm Goldmann Verlag, Munich 1982. ISBN 3-442-10922-1 .

literature

• Helmut Roth: The chess composer. Johann Berger as a chess theorist and game player. Leopold Stocker Verlag, Graz 1982. ISBN 3-7020-0419-X .
• Friedrich Chlubna : Sunken Treasures. Problem art from 1891–1913. Verlag F. Chlubna, Vienna 1998. ISBN 3-9500310-6-5 .
• Herbert Grasemann : One of the Reverend's ideas that made history. The New German Chess Problem: Origin, Basics, Basic Concepts. Self-published, Berlin 1981.
• Michael Negele: Johann Nepomuk Berger - master builder of the art of chess. In: KARL. No. 2/2008, pp. 24-29.

Web links

• Literature by and about Johann Berger in the catalog of the German National Library
• Johann Berger's tasks on the PDB server (English).